Icing on the Cake
by tastes-like-ciel
Summary: Milly's throwing a surprise birthday party and Lelouch gets stuck with the job of baking the cake. Suzaku tries to help, but things get a little messy and more "cake tasting" gets done than actual baking.


Title: Icing on the Cake

Genre: Humor/Romance/Friendship

Rating: T+

Warnings: AU-ish. SuzaLulu fluff…with cake.

Summary: Milly's throwing a surprise birthday party and Lelouch gets stuck with the job of baking the cake. Suzaku tries to help, but things get a little messy and more "cake tasting" gets done than actual baking.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.

Serena: It's been a while since I've wrote something this sugar-coated and I'm very pleased with the sheer amount of fluff I managed to inject in this. By the way, I like to call cake "sugar bread" sometimes. hehe~

-x-x-x-x-

"Flour, sugar, milk, eggs -"

Lelouch was gazing rather intently at the polished silver counter in front of him. He had a hand set against his hip and his other was poised underneath his chin in thought. He kept muttering to himself as his eyes scanned the counter in search of missing items. He had been double checking for the past minute or so to insure that he and Suzaku had everything they needed in order to actually create the sugary bread that Milly required for the surprise party she was throwing.

The surprise party was being thrown for Kallen. According to Milly, the fiery red-head's birthday was tomorrow and Milly thought that showering the sickly girl in cake, presents, and overall good cheer would help her recover better after her most recent episode in the hospital had left her absent for days.

Lelouch couldn't help the amused curl of his lips when he thought about it. He knew Kallen better than others would believe. The girl _wasn't_ sickly in the least and she was anything but frail in physical capabilities or fragile in health. The whole "sick girl" routine was nothing more than an act to hide Kallen's true nature. After all, no one would ever suspect such a weak girl as being a terrorist (and one for Zero_, _at that). Still, a little break from bloodshed and fighting would be good for the girl (and it really _was_ her birthday tomorrow, so Ohgi had confirmed for Lelouch on accident). Lelouch figured the Black Knights wouldn't mind a little break, at any rate, so Kallen could enjoy her birthday (and this cake he and Suzaku were about to bake for her).

Suzaku himself was standing off to the side (lent up against an empty section of the counter) with his arms crossed. Like Lelouch, the brunet was wearing a rather frilly-looking apron over his jacketless uniform (although, unlike Lelouch's, his wasn't _pink_). He had volunteered to help Lelouch bake the cake upon finding out that the Britannian prince was going to be all alone in his cake-making endeavor (stating something about it not being good for Lelouch to do it alone, even though the main reason for this was due to the fact that none of the other council members could cook without something exploding or being burnt to a crisp). Suzaku didn't exactly have a whole lot of experience baking sweets (and the fact that Lelouch _did_ made the soldier chuckle on the inside), but at least he could cook something without flour bags magically exploding or bowls and utensils flying everywhere. That alone made the brunet _more_ than qualified to stand in the same kitchen with chef Lelouch.

"I think we have everything…" Lelouch stated after nodding to himself. He trailed off, however, and when Suzaku looked a little more closely, he could see an unsure shine in Lelouch's eyes. They had everything, didn't they? Suzaku glanced at the objects neatly organized on the counter for a quick scan. …yeah. From what Suzaku could tell, they had everything (but, again, Suzaku wasn't too experienced in the art of baking sweet bread so maybe they actually were missing something and Lelouch simply couldn't put his finger on what that something was).

Lelouch sighed and shook his head at some internal musings he was having.

"…ah, well. I guess it'll come to me if we need it." he muttered to himself before turning slightly to look at Suzaku. "If you're ready to start, I think we're prepared enough to begin."

Lelouch had a certain air about him that made all his movements so graceful and precise (as if they had been thought out well beforehand). The way the prince was turned towards Suzaku with his hand still resting against his hip and his head tilted at a slight angle (that made his silky locks of hair fall across his face in the most _attractive_ of ways) was a sight to behold. Without the slight bulk of his jacket gracing his shoulders, Lelouch's lithe form was much more prominent. The frilly pink apron he had tied around his waist (a gift from Nunnally) emphasized his feminine characteristics in a way that didn't really harm his masculinity, too. Despite the girly nature of the apron, Lelouch made it work for him and Suzaku found himself appreciating the view the more he stared.

Then he realized all he had been doing _was_ staring and he stumbled over his words in an attempt to try and wipe the suspicious look off Lelouch's face.

"A-ah, yeah! Sounds good. I-I mean…uhm…yeah. Let's get started?"

Suzaku blushed. He really hadn't meant that to come out sounding like a question. He had just embarrassed himself because of reasons Lelouch could know nothing about. _Oh_, he just _had_ to start staring, didn't he? Lelouch's movements were far too attractive for his own good. It should have been criminal to have _so much_ naturally alluring flare yet be _so_ _naïve_ in the ways of sexual conduct. But ending up in prison on charges of being too gorgeous would be asinine and Suzaku wouldn't want anyone getting any ideas and trying to defile Lelouch's sexual innocence. _On the other hand_, seeing Lelouch in one of those prisoner straitjackets would be really –

'_**Stop it, Suzaku!**_' Suzaku shrieked in thought as he desperately tried to shove the image of Lelouch wrapped up in that prisoner getup out of his mind. …but _damn_ if it wasn't an appetizing – _why was he even thinking about this?_ '_**Cake**__, idiot! You are here to make __**cake**__! Stop imagining Lelouch in bondage ge -_'

Suzaku gave up. He had just called the Britannian prisoner's outfit "bondage gear". There was no getting around _that_ mental image. He was just going to have to suffer through it.

Lelouch raised one elegant eyebrow at Suzaku as said soldier's blush blossomed into a brilliant red. Just what on Earth had Suzaku so _flustered_? What was with that adorable stuttering and that increasingly amusing blush (not to mention Suzaku's general space cadet attention span)?

"You feeling alright, Suzaku?" Lelouch questioned. He felt concern wash over him the more he thought about it. Maybe Suzaku wasn't feeling well? What if he had a fever? That would certainly explain some things. "If you don't feel well, I could take you to see the nurse. The cake can wait."

Suzaku blinked at the offer and then guilt settled over him. Ah, _great_. He had worried Lelouch. Suzaku really needed to get a grip and perk up. So, he attempted doing just that.

"No, no! I'm fine. Really!" he chirped. His smile was somewhat nervous, but he sounded convincing enough (so he thought, at least). "I was just…thinking about something and you surprised me was all."

Suzaku pushed against the counter and turned towards the contents of the counter with his hands set on his hips.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get started!" he continued cheerily. His blush was dying down at a reasonable speed and his smile was beginning to grow more genuine the longer he focused on it. "Can't have a birthday party without cake, right?"

Lelouch continued to look suspicious, but after a few seconds, he nodded in agreement and decided to let Suzaku's odd behavior go.

"Indeed. I would never hear the end of it from Milly." Lelouch stated. He bent slightly to reach out for a big, blue mixing bowl that was sitting on the counter. "If you'll start on the eggs, I'll start measuring the flour, sugar, and milk."

Suzaku nodded and he, too, reached out for a matching mixing bowl (albeit a smaller one) and then the carton of eggs.

"Got it!"

-x-x-

Things progressed easily enough after that. The two managed to stay focused on the task at hand and Suzaku had no more problems with suggestive mental images. There were no incidents with the flour or sugar bags and Suzaku had the eggs cracked and beaten without so much as a stray drop landing anywhere (not even any egg shell pieces had dropped into the mixture). Eventually, the two combined everything they had and while Suzaku was mixing it all together with the aid of an electric mixer, Lelouch sliced up some fresh strawberries. Afterward, he rolled both them and the chocolate chips they were going to add around in flour (to keep them from sinking to the bottom during the baking process). And, once the flour, sugar, eggs, and whatnot had been mixed into a smooth, creamy yellow substance, both Suzaku and Lelouch dumped the sliced strawberries and chocolate chips into the batter.

It was when Lelouch took over the job of mixing in the added flavors that everything started going downhill.

"It's not even a cake yet and it _already_ smells delicious." Suzaku commented. His mouth was watering at the very _scent_ of the combined flavors. The batter itself looked _oh so_ very appetizing. The strawberries were leaving faint trails of pink as Lelouch stirred them around and around with a large wooden spoon and the smell the chocolate was giving off just made Suzaku _hungry_ for it. Maybe Lelouch wouldn't mind if they taste tested? Hey, that's what most people did while cooking, right?

Lelouch smiled faintly and chuckled as he continued to stir the strawberry slices and chocolate chips around.

"It does, doesn't it. I hope Kallen likes it. This is her cake, after all." Lelouch wondered out loud. He stirred the contents around one final time before he was satisfied with the batter results. He pulled the wooden spoon out of the goopy substance and tapped it against the bowl's edge. "Alright. The batter is done. Now all that's left is to actually bake the thing."

Suzaku hummed in acknowledgement, but he was still eyeing the batter eagerly. Now was as good a time as ever, he supposed. And it wasn't as if Kallen would even miss a drop or two of a cake she didn't even know she was getting anyway.

"Think we should test it?" Suzaku asked. He didn't even wait for an answer, though. The moment the question came out of his mouth, he followed it with a swift "I do!" and swiped up some of the batter with a finger before sticking it into his mouth (and _hot damn_ was the theft worth it!).

Lelouch, however, was less than pleased. In fact, he looked highly annoyed.

"Suzaku! Keep your fingers out of that!" Lelouch demanded in an irritated sort of way. He grabbed hold of the batter-filled bowl and slid it away from the other teen. Suzaku only blinked innocently at him while he pulled his finger out of his mouth. He took note of the almost possessive way Lelouch was clinging to the mixing bowl and he chuckled at the sight.

"Aw, come on, Lelouch. It's not like I'm going to eat the whole bowl." Suzaku assured his friend. "It was just a little taste test. _A drop_. Try it! It's _delicious_."

Lelouch frowned.

"_No_. There will be no more 'drops' and I'm _not_ going to taste test it." he stated with a huff. "Besides, you just did that for me."

Suzaku pouted and Lelouch's eyes narrowed at that. Suzaku had a bad habit of looking too adorable when he pouted and Lelouch had given in to that pout many a time (especially when Suzaku's eyes decided to go all wide with a criminally cute, puppy-like expression that infected Lelouch with its general…Suzaku-ness).

"Don't give me that look. This cake is for _Kallen_ and Milly will - "

Suzaku continued to pout and his eyes were starting to do that puppy thing and – aw, hell. A drop wouldn't hurt. Lelouch threw up his hands in defeat.

"Fine!" Lelouch conceded and he pulled the bowl back over. "I'll humor you. It _is_ just a drop, I guess."

Suzaku grinned in victory. The pout (like Lelouch's glares) was a force to be reckoned with.

Lelouch sighed and carefully dipped his index finger into the soft, pale yellow of the batter. He didn't want to get too much and he also didn't want to get too messy either. He scooped a little up from the edge of the batter pool and brought it up to his lips to taste it and it was, as Suzaku had stated, _delicious_. Lelouch could have very easily gone for seconds, but he had to remind himself that this was _Kallen's_ soon-to-be cake. There could be no birthday party without a birthday cake to eat at said birthday party.

Suzaku's grin widened at Lelouch's pleased expression.

"Told you~" he said in a satisfied manner. "But you have a little right…"

Suzaku trailed off and leaned forward. Lelouch had accidentally smeared a bit of the batter onto the corner of his mouth and Lelouch didn't appear to be aware of it. So, Suzaku (who wasn't exactly thinking about his own actions), licked the troublesome smear off with the faintest and quickest of tongue movements Lelouch had ever come into contact with (which wasn't much considering that Arthur was the only creature who ever dared lick him and that was usually only in the mornings or when Lelouch had fallen asleep somewhere that wasn't his own bed).

"S-suzaku!" Lelouch practically squeaked in surprise. A bright pink blush spread across his cheeks rapidly and a hand shot to his mouth to cover the spot Suzaku's tongue had brushed against. _Jeez._ Suzaku had done the same thing during that whole rice incident! Didn't the idiot have a sense of personal space?

Suzaku blinked before his own face flushed. Lelouch's eyes were wide and his cheeks were dusted with hues of embarrassed pink. A hand was at his mouth and he looked so _flustered_ and…and…hell, it was _adorable_.

Suzaku licked his lips.

Plus, the batter had actually tasted _better_ on Lelouch…

"Ahhh…" was all Suzaku could offer before shrugging helplessly. "…if it helps, you made it taste better."

Lelouch's blush actually burned _more_ at that. He opened his mouth to respond to that…that…_ugh_! Lelouch shut his mouth and shook his head in embarrassment.

"_H-how_ is that supposed to help?" Lelouch stuttered out. Suzaku was so bloody embarrassing! "You embarrass me to no end sometimes, I swear!"

Suzaku shrugged again, but he chuckled this time.

"Well, we're friends, aren't we? What's a little lick between friends?" he asked and he was a little surprised at how much he actually meant that. But only just a little. "I mean, I wouldn't care if you did that to me. I guess I'd be a little surprised, but it would be from you and I really wouldn't mind it. …uh, Lelouch?"

Lelouch had held up a hand somewhere in the middle of Suzaku's sentence, but the brunet's mind hadn't registered the action until just then.

"Just…just stop talking." Lelouch said. His blush seemed permanent and the slight wavering in his voice gave away his nervousness. Why would Lelouch be nervous over something like this, though? He and Suzaku were best friends (and close ones at that). It was just a little lick. Stuff like that was like hand holding. It was just a sign of friendly affection (although, licking was little more intimate, Suzaku would admit, but even still). "You're so open about these things…"

Suzaku frowned and before he knew what he was doing, he had reached over to scoop up some more batter (just enough for another taste test). He reached up to grab hold of Lelouch's chin with his clean hand and made Lelouch look at him.

"Look. You're being…"

Suzaku trailed off and hesitated for a moment as a sudden flash of something (had that been fear? Anticipation?) swam across Lelouch's eyes. But then the soldier threw all caution to the wind and smeared the cake batter onto Lelouch's lips. Suzaku's heart beat wildly in his chest the entire time.

Lelouch reacted accordingly and pushed away from Suzaku.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lelouch yelled. He lifted a hand to hover over his batter-covered lips. He wasn't sure whether to just wipe the stuff off or indulge his sweet tooth by licking the stuff off or if he should enjoy the tingling Suzaku's finger had left in wake of brushing against his lips. Wait. _Why_ should he enjoy that? Suzaku had just violated his personal space _again_! "That was completely uncall -"

But Lelouch froze when Suzaku only drew closer to him. Lelouch backed up, but Suzaku only followed and when Lelouch's back bumped into the counter's corner, he merely stood there wondering what he should feel. He wasn't sure if he should feel worried or happy or disgusted or thrilled or –

Suzaku leaned close and swiped his tongue over the same corner he had licked at moments before. The touch was wet and made the corner of Lelouch's mouth tingle faintly. It didn't feel horrible or anything. It was just so…intimate and Lelouch didn't have a lot of experience with showing signs of affection with anyone except Nunnally and -

"What's a lick between friends?" Lelouch asked suddenly, repeating Suzaku's question. Lelouch was surprised at how his voice sounded. It didn't sound scared and his breathe felt hotter than it should of felt. Suzaku wasn't leaning away this time, but was letting his mouth hover next to Lelouch's and Lelouch was again surprised to find that he didn't really mind that.

Suzaku smiled a little at the question. He was slowing edging closer and he could already feel the goopy batter still clinging to Lelouch's lips.

"Just a…sign of affection." Suzaku answered and before he knew it, he had closed the barely-there gap between them.

Lelouch made a small noise in the back of his throat as Suzaku's lips brushed against his batter-covered ones. It felt strange and very different from the time Shirley had done it, but Lelouch didn't feel bothered by the difference. In fact, he liked it. His lips were tingling all over and the feel of Suzaku's breathe (that smelled faintly of chocolate because the brunet had snuck in some of the chocolate chips) felt nice and inviting and when Suzaku pulled away just the tiniest bit to lick at some of the batter, Lelouch found himself with a hand in Suzaku's hair so that he could pull the other man back. The other hand had curled its fingers around the edge of the counter for support and Lelouch could feel Suzaku snaking one of his hands around Lelouch's waist. The slight grazing of fabric against his side and back felt oddly enticing as Suzaku's hand moved. Lelouch never realized fabric could feel as nice as it did.

Suzaku let his other hand graze against Lelouch's cheek as it slipped up to tangle in the prince's luxuriously soft hair. Lelouch's eyes fluttered shut and he made a soft noise as Suzaku's fingers brushed against his cheek (like he had enjoyed the calloused feel of it) and Suzaku pulled the prince closer while allowing his own eyes to slip shut. Lelouch's lips were soft (a sharp contrast to Suzaku's chapped, rough ones) and the sweet taste of the batter combined with Lelouch's own natural flavor was too exotic to be real. _Oh_, imagine if the actual _cake_ tasted like this! It would be the most coveted cake in the world!

Suzaku slipped his tongue out yet again and dragged it across Lelouch's lips. Lelouch's lips parted with a slight gasp and Suzaku let his tongue slip in. Lelouch clutched at Suzaku's russet curls greedily and the hand at his back mimicked the action as the two friends desperately tried to get closer. The feel of Suzaku's tongue and lips and calloused fingers grazing against him just felt so _right_ and _wanted_ _and_ –

The stove's buzzer went off loudly to inform the two of them that it was done preheating and was ready to bake Kallen's birthday cake. The bowl of cake batter sat idly to side as it waited to be poured inside the cake pan seated behind it and the decorative icing stood beside a container filled with the cake's white base icing as they all waited to drench the soon-to-be cake in yummy icing goodness.

Both teenagers froze at the sound of the timer and their eyes flew open simultaneously. They stayed that way for the briefest of moments (lips and tongues still pressed together, hands still all over each other, fingers still tangled in hair, and bodies still pressed against each other as if they had been made to be that way), but once their minds had fully processed everything that was happening they pushed away from each other as if scalded. Amethyst and jade irises were wide and gleaming in an odd combination of elated horror and cheeks were rapidly being burned by fiery red blushes that threatened to leave permanent pink tints if the two allowed them to remain much longer.

"…I…uhm…" Suzaku fumbled out. He backed up again and his eyes darted to the source of all the trouble: the cake batter. "…cook it now?" Suzaku wasn't even sure what he was saying. His thoughts were everywhere all at once. "The…uh…cake?"

Lelouch himself barely registered what Suzaku had said, but at the words "cake", he started nodding.

"The stove is…ready." Lelouch replied faintly and his eyes darted to the object in question. "Uhm…I…I should get the…uh…candles." Lelouch remembered what they had been missing at the oddest time, but he was thankful for the excuse to leave Suzaku's side. "You do – I mean! – you pour the…uh…put the stuff in the…uhm…thing – I mean stove! – I mean…cake batter. Stove."

Lelouch fled to retrieve the candles they would need for Kallen's cake. He was appalled at his vocabulary and his inability to speak a proper sentence. _Gosh!_ How _embarrassing_!

Suzaku nodded absentmindedly and he fumbled with the cake pan and can of non-stick spray as he prepped the pan for the batter. While he did so, his thoughts managed to become a little more focused, but it did nothing to make his blush lessen.

However, he did smile and once Lelouch had located the candles, a smile graced his lips as well.

-x-x-x-x-

Serena: Maybe it's not enough to induce cavities like I promised, but it's fluffy, yes? o u o hehe~ All the cake baking stuff is from personal experience, by the way. I like baking sweet bread. C: Flour does help to keep stuff from sinking. Anyway, please leave me a review, if you wouldn't mind! I'm not great at make-out sessions so I'd like to hear how I did on that. Till next time, you guys~! Thanks for reading!


End file.
